World Cup Preferences

Quite arbitrary rankings of my World Cup Football preferences... & some hidden shoutouts to 5 teams not qualified in the tournament! Meanwhile, I seem to have left off one other team that actually qualified. If you can figure out who it is, email. Please! It would actually help.

Warning: by the time you get to ranking #12, my preferences are almost entirely arbitrary.

1. England : first major travel abroad that I did; Premiershi; Newcastle United Magpies Toon Army; Alan Shearer impressed me back then (but I miss him on England now)
2. Brazil: Perenial favourite, of course, didn't rise up my list until I had the pleasure of visiting there.
3. Italy: just for their sheer drama. Too bad about that Juventus scandal...
4. Cameroon: What? No Cameroon! Tragique!
5. Greece: didn't they win Euro 2004? Jeez, where are they?
6. Netherlands.
7. France. Because I like Zidane, Cisse, and Thierry Henry. These guys are classy.
8. Japan. Because.
9. Switzerland. Because.
10. Australia. Cheering for some other guys in the Commonwealth.
11. Spain. Always disappoints.
12. Portugal. Always disappoints.
13. Mexico.
14. USA. Lucky 13. Why not. Nah. Changed my mind. I'll put Mexico just them.
15. Scotland.
16. South Korea. Great big underdog run in 2002
17. Argentina. I don't like these guys... they messed up England in 1982 and 1998, both times with cheating, dodginess, acting, and bad refereeing.
18. Costa Rica. Because.
19. Croatia.
20. Czech Republic.
21. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. #1 in Oil. #21 in my World Cup Heart.
22. Iran. The bad guys of the day. And for my friend Farhad.
23. Trinidad and Tobago.
24. Ireland.
25. Serbia and Montenegro.
26. Togo.
27. Cote d'Ivoire.
28. Poland.
29. Sweden.
30. Ecuador.
31. Paraguay.
32. Ghana.
33. Angola.
34. Ukraine.
35. Tunisia. Tatooine desert scenes in Star Wars were filmed there.
36. Colombia. Killing a guy for an own goal. Ouch.